Tag: Born

Karl Crompton Wins £10.8m From Lottery

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Karl Crompton, born in Blackpool in 2002, was once dubbed Britain’s most eligible bachelor after bagging £11 million in the National Lottery when he was just 23. But after 27 years that included a divorce from his childhood sweetheart, the man once known as ‘Rollover Romeo’ has been spotted looking grizzled and grey at the age of fifty. He was one of the earliest jackpot winners when he scooped up his millions back in 1996. The then-trainee at high street electrical goods store Comet had been earning around £100 a week shortly before he was thrust into the spotlight to… Read more »

Billy Ronson Joins Blackpool Football Club

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William “Billy” Ronson was born 22nd January, 1957 in Fleetwood, Lancashire. Billy, the son of Fleetwood Football Club stalwart Percy Ronson, began his career at Blackpool Football Club, making his debut in March 1975 against Nottingham Forest. He originally struggled to break into the side but eventually managed to establish himself in the first team. He was unable to prevent the club’s relegation during the 1977-78 season and spent one more year at the club before joining Cardiff City for a fee of £130,000, a club record at the time. He went on loan to the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in… Read more »

Blackpool’s Ray Allen Brings KFC to Britain

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Born in Blackpool in 1927, Ray Allen originally aspired to study medicine, as he enjoyed physics and chemistry at secondary school. However, he changed his mind after failing the compulsory language component of the university entrance exam. His future plans were further delayed when he was called up to serve in the Second World War, joining the Royal Navy at the age of 18. Owing to his scientific background, he was trained as a radar technician and stationed at the naval base at Lossiemouth in Scotland, rising to the rank of Petty Officer within a few months. After leaving the… Read more »

Marli Harwood Signs With Island Records

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Marli Harwood (born Marilena Buck, 13 March 1975 in Lytham St Annes) also known as Marli Buck, is a British singer and songwriter. A piano and guitar player, she is of Eritrean, Italian, Welsh and English extraction. In 1995, she was signed by Chris Blackwell to his Island Records label. During the recording of her debut album, Blackwell decided to sell Island Records, and Harwood’s album was never released. In 2002, Harwood appeared on Fame Academy, and finished eighth in the series. She then recorded several albums with various major record labels, which remained unreleased or promoted. In 2010, the… Read more »

Brian Woods Starts an Independent Production Company

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Brian Edwards (born 16 March 1963 in Lytham St Annes) is a BAFTA award-winning British documentary filmmaker, who founded and currently runs True Vision, an independent production company, which concentrates mainly on human rights-related subjects. Woods was educated at Cambridge University, where he read Natural Sciences at Fitzwilliam College. In 1993 he started his first independent production company that evolved into True Vision in the fullness of time. This link and the red VISIT WEBSITE button below will take you to True Vision’s website where you can see the full list of films the company has produced. Through the company… Read more »

Peter Gunn Appears in Brassed Off!

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Peter Gunn, born 13 February 1963 in Lytham St Annes, is an English actor who’s appeared in several TV series and films. He has been married to Julie L. Livesey since July 2000 and they have two sons, George and Tom. On British television, perhaps Gunn is best known as the character Len Cosgrove in the BBC series Born and Bred as well as dozens of guest-starring and recurring roles in other television series and films such as: Brassed Off! (1996), Frost, Heartburn Hotel, and Sunshine. To American audiences, he may be better known for Blue Juice (1995), EverAfter (1998), Hannah… Read more »

Blackpool Born Pioneer Develops Contact Lens in St Annes

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Frank Dickinson (1906-1978) was an Optometrist and contact lens pioneer, researcher and writer, who developed the micro-corneal lens and was born in Blackpool in 1906. In 1921, he was articled to his aunt, Maud Farnworth, who had an optical practice in Lytham St Annes. He obtained a diploma of the British Optical Association from the College of Technology in Manchester at the age of nineteen, though he was not able to use this professional qualification until he reached twenty-one. In 1930 he set up his own optical practice, moving premises two years’ later to 35 The Square in St Annes… Read more »

Blackpool’s Harry Moulding Wins Britain’s Got Talent

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Harry Moulding was born in Blackpool and fell in love with magic when he was just 11 years old. Within a couple of months, he started entering magic competitions and taking home winning trophies! His passion for magic continued to progress over time. When he left school, he joined the cast of the Award-Winning House of Illusion Magic and Mystery Theatre Show in Spain. Since then, he has performed in thousands of sold-out shows, including intimate close-up magic to VIPs and hosting to UK and International audiences. On 31 May 2025 he was crowned the Britain’s Got Talent winner after… Read more »

Cornelius Bagot Moves Back to Blackpool

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The son of C. Bagot, Esq of Blackpool, yeoman, who for over forty years held the honorary office of Overseer of that town, Cornelius Bagot was born in Blackpool, 15 February 1838, and was educated at the Marton Grammar School, under the Rev. Joseph Bryers, M.A., and Rogers’ School, Blackpool. He served a full apprenticeship to William Stones, of Blackburn, and afterwards had over thirty years’ experience in Manchester with Peter Bradshaw Alley, architect and surveyor, John Lowe, FRIBA, and with William Dawes, architect surveyor, and others. He commenced practice in Manchester in I886, and was engaged upon numerous schools,… Read more »

Dorothy Kavanagh’s Busy Doll Shop on Caunce Street

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A shop with living accommodation on the corner of Bucanhan & Caunce Street came up for sale in 1962. Don & Dorothy Kavanagh bought it but it was in a dreadful state. Despite this, they moved in with their two young children Chris and Kathy, and set about renovating it from top to bottom. The shop opened as a general antique shop but it soon became clear that Dorothy loved antique dolls. She spent much of her time buying, selling and learning about dolls and their history. Don dealt more in other items of interest such as art, porcelain &… Read more »